Partial Denervation of the Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint: A New Technique

To report the clinical outcomes of partial denervation for the treatment of basilar thumb joint arthritis.

Patients who underwent partial denervation of the basilar thumb joint for osteoarthritis from a single center between 2019 and 2021 were recruited into the study. This involved a technique that involved cauterization of the joint capsule and its innervation through the branches of the superficial radial, palmar cutaneous branch of the median, lateral antebrachial, and ulnar nerves. Patients were followed up postoperatively to record clinical (grip strength, thumb apposition and opposition pinch grip strength, Kapandji score) and patient-reported outcomes (visual analogue scale [VAS], Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand [QuickDASH], Patient-reported Wrist Evaluation [PRWE]).

Twelve patients (15 carpometacarpal joints; 9 female and 3 male patients) underwent a partial denervation of the thumb (Eaton stage 3-4). The mean age at the time of surgery was 63 ± 5 years (range 56-72). The mean clinical follow-up duration was 23 ± 11 months (range 9-42 months), and functional score follow-up duration was 27 ± 7 months (range 14-42 months). At the latest clinical follow, VAS score, Kapandji score, grip strength, and thumb apposition/opposition pinch strength all improved significantly (P < .05). The mean QuickDASH score was 30 ± 16, and PRWE score was 32 ± 17. Patients who had unilateral partial thumb denervation demonstrated greater improvement in grip strength than patients who had bilateral partial thumb denervation procedures (P = .01).

In this clinical case series, our method of basilar thumb joint partial denervation has been effective in improving clinical outcomes and reducing pain due to osteoarthritis.

IV, case series.